Gardeners' Notes:

Just bought a 5-gal container of this gorgeous plant from Home Depot in Hilo, HI, for $19.95. It's HUGE and has 3 blooms on it right now, too - stems approx 3-ft high, maybe 30 of them with more shoots coming up. I'm putting it in a semi shade garden w/many other shade plants under some Norfolk Pines, but area gets maybe a half day of filtered sun, too, so we shall see. I'm hoping it will provide some of the shade for the lower-height plants there. Planted in mostly compost/mulch mix which does well here; excellent drainage bc we are on porous lava - we do get lots of rain - approx 120" a year. Surprised it's a ginger, but now that I look at it, I see that it certainly is. This makes me feel positive about it because gingers do so well here. Label says "bright filtered light." I could not ... read morepass this up when I saw it. Absolutely gorgeous.

Does not like the sun-- lots of light ; moist but not wet , mine outside in courtyard ; soil type miracle gro fortified topsoil seems just fine ( plus I use a lot of miracle gro liquid. ) , longest stem =39" ;longest leaf = 18" .28 F did not hurt it. Slow grower for me but a handsome cluster.paid $35 for 2 stems ., about 20"s long. He said ( plant sale at USF - an independent dealer ) it was from the mountains of Himalaya ???. I think it worth the money -- something new and different and beautiful foliage. St Leo ,Fla

I got this plant as a trade from a friend in South Florida who got it from a friend in Puerto Rico. After that I had the good fortune to encounter Dr. Tom Wood at a local plant sale where he had some. We were talking and I mentioned I had the rugosa, and he said that he was the person who had collected it and brought it into the USA. He told me that it is root hardy in the zone we live in (8B-9A) and that it will freeze to the ground and return like a Hedychium. I have not planted mine out yet but plan to divide some off next season and trial it out. This is one of the most interesting foliage gingers around, still pricey.